CUTTACK: In a significant order, the Orissa High Court has directed the state government to inform whether there was any surveillance mechanism to detect fake doctors and curb the menace of quackery.
If there was no such mechanism, what steps the authorities were contemplating to take to find out the fake doctors practising in different parts of the state and what measures are proposed to be taken against the establishments run or collaborated by them, the court asked the government to specify in the affidavit.
The court was taking stock of the progress the state government had made to ascertain the exact number of allopathic doctors in the state who were practising without having valid qualifications as part of the adjudication of a PIL on Thursday. The Odisha State Legal Services Authority (OSLSA) filed the petition in 2019.
The division bench of Justice Subhasis Talapatra and Justice Savitri Ratho issued the direction on Thursday after amicus curiae Gautam Misra sought direction to the State government to file an affidavit as regards the status of implementation of the steps, assured to be taken by the authorities. The bench further directed to file an additional affidavit before the matter is listed again on August 3.